I know this is an obvious questino but nonetheless I think many visitors to this forum will be very interested in your approach to monitoring. Are you a large/nearfield ns 10/auratone guy or a more esoterci ProAc user?

I'm really interested in this, and any tips you have on monitoring while mixing.

Hi Russ,
I know this is an obvious questino but nonetheless I think many visitors to this forum will be very interested in your approach to monitoring. Are you a large/nearfield ns 10/auratone guy or a more esoterci ProAc user?
I'm really interested in this, and any tips you have on monitoring while mixing.
Thanks for your time Russ,
Iwan

hello again iwan,

i really rely on my ns10's and aurotones. i'm probably on the ns10's about 75% of the time, monitoring at various volumes through the session. i try and stay conscious of monitoring very loud for long periods of time but sometimes you just can't help turning it up. i do want to save as much of my hearing as possible. but i've gotten into the habit of monitoring at low volumes and when you get used to, it's a good way of checking things at the end of the mix. i check my bottom on the krk E8's and dynaudio BM15a's. i check things in mono on the aurotone and listen at medium volumes. for me, after listening to all sorts of frequencies for a long period and my ears are feeling tired, the aurotone will just put everything flat and my ears kind of just recalibrate themselves...is that wierd?

i also like using the little speakers that are part of the meter bridge on the studer a80 or a820 2 trks. if i'm going for a specfic sound overall in the mix and it's aggressive in it's frequency responses and there's lots of information going on, i'll try and listen to every speaker that's available to me.

if i'm mixing at a studio for the first time, i'll try and listen to as many different systems as i can find (cars, boom boxes, computers, etc), just so i can get a feel for how it's translating in the "real world". this is good practice in general.

How can you not use subwoofers? Did i misunderstand that question? I have always read that one of the main advantages of the big/proper mastering rooms is the accurate low end. How can you get that without subs. It must be that the speakers you use are flat down to 30HZ or something like that?

How can you not use subwoofers? Did i misunderstand that question? I have always read that one of the main advantages of the big/proper mastering rooms is the accurate low end. How can you get that without subs. It must be that the speakers you use are flat down to 30HZ or something like that?

i swear i dont use subs. it's a component that was not around when i was coming up. the BM15a's that i use go down to 30hz so i can hear what's happenning on the bottom. but its not always about the sub frequencies when your going for a nice low end. frequencies are unpredictable, they phase, they can mask each other, they can play tricks on you. pulling out low frequencies doesn't mean you'll get less bottom in the overall mix. subtractive eq'ing works well and is a good technique. you have to make room sometimes. you can't just keep adding frequencies and expect it to get bigger and better. that's when things get muddy.

I love to hear that you dont need em. That's hype! Flat to 30 seems fantastic. But not sure what you meant about the use of sub for lower frequencies and the low end theory (tribe) any way. What i like about having the sub is that it aggravetes my bass so, and I already use do too much boom. So it helps me keep it under wraps. At low volume i dont hear it sooo much but when its bumpin it adds that little umph. But you know that. Its just you got kick ass monitors with no sub and me no like dah.